Hopper-door-operating mechanism



June 10 924. 1,496,938

' J. M. MANGAN ET AL HOPPERDOOR OPERATING MECHANISM Filed 901:. 5, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 1' J. M. MANGAN ET AL HOPPER DOOR OPERATING MECHANISM June l0 1 924' 2 Sheet 2 Filed Opt. 5 1923 Patented June 10, 1924.

JOHN M. MANGAN AND JAMES P. BUR-NS, OF MINER/S MILLS, PENNSYLVANIA.

HOPPER- DOO'R-OEERATING MECHANISM.

Application filed October 3, 1923. Serial No. 666,368.

T 0 all whom it may ccncerns' Be it known that we, Jone: M. MANGAN and Jnrns P. BURNs, citizens of the United States of America, and residents of Miners lilills, in the county of Luzerne and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hopper-Door- Operating Mechanism, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to railway rolling stock, and pa ticularly to an improvement relating to door closures and holders for the doors of hopper cars. I

It is an object of this invention to produce novel means whereby door operating and holdim means mav be 'rovided as substitutes for the holding means on cars now in common use that are held closed by ratchet wheels and pawls. The conventional types of door operating and holding means for hopper cars develop lost motion to an extent that permits the doors to sag with respect to the door frame with which it coacts and the loss of contents of cars often results especially where the shipment contains fine materials.

It is an object of this invention to produce novel means for closing the doors and holding them tightly closed to preclude the losses referred to, while at the same time, each door may be expeditiously operated for moving it to an open or closed position, and for holding it against accidental opening.

It is a further-object of this invention to produce a door operating and retaining device that can be expeditiously substituted for the winding and holding means which include the ratchet wheel and dog now in common use; and furthermore, to provide mechanism which will withstand. unusual wear and strain after it has been installed.

It is furthermore an object of the invention to produce mechanism of the character indicated which will be comparatively inexpensive to manufacture and install in cars now in common use. or which can be furnished as a part of the equipment of new rolling stock.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention consists in the details of construction, and in the arrangement and combination of parts to be hereinafter more fully set forth and claimed.

In describing the invention in detail, reference will be had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this application wherein like characters denote correspond ing parts in the W several views, and in which 'Figure l illustrates a view in elevation of a conventional type of car with a device embodying the invention applied thereto Figure 2 illustrates a detail view of the attachment for a car embodying the: invenn;

' Figure 3' illustratesfa detail view of the base plate of the device;

Figure a illustrates a sectional the line 4-4 of Fig. 2; v

Figure 5 illustrates a sectional viewon the line 5-'5 of F ig. 3; and V Figure 6 illustrates a perspective view of the worm bearing and its attaching means; In these drawings 10 denotes a plate having apertures 11 to receive .fa'stenings by which the plate may be attachedto a stationary part of a car, and preferably this plate is attached to a side frame of a car, and of course, it must be positioned in operative relation to the winding shaft 12 or the door operating shaft, which shaft, as stated, in the conventionalconstruction ;is heldin different positions of'adjustment by a ratchet wheel and dog. The plate has an aperture 13 to receive the shaft, and the face of the plate where it is aperturedhas a boss 1% beyond which the end of the shaft projects." r s p The plate is'further provided with flanges view on 15 at; each'edge and 'theinner ends of the said flanges are enlarged and recessed as at 16 to form bearings. V i

, In the present embodiment of the invention, a worm 17 is employed and the worm has trunnions 18 at its ends, the said trunnions terminating in heads 19 that are anguon the face plate, and the relation of parts is such that the members 20 hold the trunnions in engagement with the bearings of the flanges and prevent the trunnions from being disengaged from the positions in which they are placed. The members 20 have lateral extensions 22 to increase the bearing surfaces and these conform to and cooperate with the enlargements or extensions on the flanges of the plate so that the bearing'for the trunnions of the worm will be of sufficient size as to withstand strain incident to the use of the mechanism.

After the plate with the accompanying parts has been applied to the car frame with the door operating shaft projecting through the apertured plate and boss, a worm wheel 23 is secured on the door operating shaft in order that it engages the worm, and when the worm is rotated, it' will result in opening or closing the door, ac cording to the direction of rotation of the worm. The pitch of the threads of the worm and the teeth of the worm wheel is such that the friction between the interengaging teeth and threads will serve to hold the door at different positions of adjustment so that only by the application of power can the worm wheel be rotated.

The worm wheel may be secured on the shaft in any appropriate way, as by upsetting the end of the shaft, but the inventors do not wish to be limited with respect to these details, as the main feature of the invention is the provision of means for positively actuating and positively holding the door operating shaft without employing the usual ratchet wheel and dog.

The worm wheel is preferably crowned in order to increase the engaging areas of the teeth, with the worm, and it prevents the wheel from disengaging the worm.

We claim:

I. In a hopper door operating mechanism, a plate adapted to be attached to a hopper car in proximity to the door operating shaft thereof and having an aperture therein to receive said shaft, flanges on the said plate having bearings at their ends, a worm having trunnions, trunnion supporting elements engaging the trunnions for holding them in operative relation to the bearings of the flanges, the said trunnions having tool engaging ends whereby the worm is rotated, and a worm wheel on the door operating shaft en aging the said worm.

2. In a device for converting hopper door holding means comprising a plate adapted to be secured to a stationary part of a hop per car in operative relation to a door operating shaft thereof, a boss projecting from the face of the plate, the said plate and boss having an aperture, bearings formed on the plate at the sides of the boss, a worm having trunnions, members having open bearings in which the trunnions are fitted, means for securing the members to the plate in positions to hold the trunnions of the worm in engagement with the bearings of the plate, and a worm wheel adapted to be secured to the hopper door operating shaft meshing with the worm for operating and holding the said door.

3. In a device for converting hopper door holding means, a plate having flanges at its edges with bearings at their inner ends, a boss on the face of the said plate, the said plate and boss having an aperture for the reception of a hopper door operating shaft, members having open bearings and adapted to contact the flanges whereby the openings of the bearings are guarded against the displacement of a journal, a worm having trunnions at the end thereof, the said trunnions fitting in the bearings of the members, means for securing the members to the plate, and tool engaging heads on the ends of the trunnions.

JOHN M. MANGAN. JAMES P. BURNS. 

